Day 1: Self-Awareness

Hi, everyone! This is my first IMI conference and I must say that it has been one of the best conferences I have attended in my professional career. I’m not just saying to prove that I’m a good scholarship recipient (!) but to show how much I’m learning through the sessions I attended and the people with whom I interacted with today.

My conference was off to a great start with a very hands-on and interactive session this morning, which I’d say was the highlight of my Day 1; “Fun, Function, & Fundamentals: Games & Intercultural Theory” by Mr. Harris. He had us try a couple of activities, which required teamwork, thinking outside a “box,” problem solving skills with very limited resource, and creativity. Those activities were perceived differently depending on the participant; fun, challenging, interesting, and etc. My experience was actually driven by “fear” for not understanding the norms or patterns of a culture, which in this case was the “game.” I tried to “pretend” that I was following when everybody else had started figuring things out, but it felt painful to behave in a certain way with a great deal of uncertainty. Why? Because it requires mistakes and experiences in order to fully immerse yourself in a new setting/environment/culture. You have to replace your fear with courage to take off your cultural lenses and put your cultural perceptions aside. It’s not about right or wrong, win or lose, nor superior or inferior. Everything above is what I have to constantly remind myself of. My very first IMI experience was followed by a session on “Cultural DNA” and two more hands-on training of trainers sessions in the afternoon (“The Mr. Khan Exercise” and “Power Dynamics & Inclusivity”), which consisted of simulations, interactive discussions, and role-plays.

I must emphasize all the facilitators of the sessions I attended today knew exactly how to handle group dynamics. They were great at soliciting input, letting people bounce off ideas, and dealing with silence, which is an important skill set when approaching a culturally diverse group of people. Although the fear for not being accepted, included, and recognized by others affected part of me today, I know I’ll be able to step out of my comfort zone because the safe learning environment will continue to be created by the facilitators and participants in tomorrow’s sessions. It is my opportunity to further explore and challenge my cultural identity and improve KSAs as an intercultural trainer and I will not waste that.

As a closure, my favorite quote of the day is by “Mr. Khan” - “everybody should be respected by one another because everyone has/is a flower to bloom.”